Most government work never appears as an open tender — it flows through panels, registers and supplier lists. Here is what to join, by level of government, and why the July 2024 SME mandate makes it urgent.
Panels are how Australian government buyers actually buy. The July 2024 rule — at least one SME must be approached for every MAS and People Panel RFQ — makes panel membership the highest-leverage move an SME can make.
Prequalification registration, ABN, Statement of Tax Record, WorkCover certificate — fixed price, done by a specialist.
A panel is a pre-approved group of suppliers a government buyer can invite without running a full open tender each time. Most repeat government work flows through panels, so membership is the difference between being invited and never hearing about the work.
Commonwealth procurement rules now require at least one SME to be approached for every request for quote from the mandated Management Advisory Services (MAS) Panel and the People Panel — and the SME limited-tender exemption rose from A$200,000 to A$500,000.
For Commonwealth work, the relevant property and facilities panels plus AusTender registration; for councils, VendorPanel and the council's own supplier lists. Security firms also need state licensing before any panel will accept them.
Commonwealth and council panel registrations are free. State construction prequalification may involve an application process and, for some categories, financial-capacity evidence — but not a fee to submit.